Making Popcorn the Chinese Way

An equally ingenious popcorn making device can still be seen on the streets of some Chinese cities today. The corn is poured into a large cast-iron cannister which is then sealed with a heavy lid and slowly turned over a curb-side fire in rotisserie fashion. When a pressure gauge on the cannister reaches a certain level, it is removed from the fire, a large canvas sack is put over the lid, and the seal is released. With a huge boom, all of popcorn explodes at once and is poured into the sack.

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We just saw that on the streets of Nanchang. Walking down an alley way, we were surprised to see this cast iron vase being heated up over an open fire and then a tremendous bang and out came the popcorn. We loved it–our friends said they hadn’t seen this since their childhoods.